News & Events

October 2015 Message Stick newsletter now available

Nov 2015 - News

The October 2015 issue of the National Indigenous Immunisation Message Stick (NIIMS) is now available. This issue includes an update on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander immunisation programs and information on the Australian Government’s No Jab, No Pay measure.

New study into febrile seizures in children

Sep 2015 - News

We are looking for children aged 12 to 42 months who have never had a seizure to be in the control group of a new study at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. The study is examining the developmental outcomes and possible genetic link in young children who have had febrile seizures. Read more

What's new slide set for 2015 update of The Australian Immunisation Handbook

Sep 2015 - News

NCIRS has prepared an educational slide set ‘What’s new – 2015 update’ which summarises the changes included in the 2015 annual update of the Handbook as well as providing some background on the update process which commenced last year. This slide set is intended for use by immunisation providers as an educational tool. You can find the slide set on our provider resources page.

2013 Annual immunisation coverage report

Aug 2015 - News

The 2013 Annual Immunisation Coverage Report is now available on the NCIRS website. We have also provided a summary of key findings and accompanying slideset.

The 2015 update includes changes to some clinical recommendations, as well as clarifications and the inclusion of new factual information. These updates have been made in response to specific issues requiring amendment; amended chapters have not been reviewed in their entirety unless specified.

Major changes have been made to five chapters:

Influenza – Annual influenza vaccine is now recommended for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and individuals with a BMI of 40 or higher or chronic liver disease.

Japanese encephalitis – Recommendations on use of JE vaccines, including booster doses, have been updated.

Meningococcal disease – The entire meningococcal disease chapter has been updated to take into account incorporation of the new meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero, now available on the private market.

Pertussis – Pertussis vaccine is now recommended for infants at 18 months of age and for pregnant women (changes previously published in March 2015).

Zoster – Recommendations on the use of herpes zoster vaccine are broken down by new age groups.

The updated Handbook is available in HTML format on the Immunise Australia website. (A PDF version will be available online soon.) All future updates to the 10th edition Handbook will also be published on the Immunise Australia website.

April 2015 - Newsletter

December 2014 - Newsletter

November 2014 - Newsletter

Vaccine Safety Seminar - held on 29 October 2014

Oct 2014 - Events

This seminar brought together researchers, immunisation providers and public health staff interested in active surveillance for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI).

The focus of the seminar was to discuss and improve upon current methods of active and enhanced surveillance and to strengthen collaborative efforts across state, territory and national systems to improve vaccine safety surveillance.

Topics included:Methods of active and enhanced surveillance, including solicited feedback via SMS, hospital-based surveillance for adverse events of special interest, and use of large health care databases; the role of the public and healthcare providers in AEFI surveillance and international models.

The opening address was provided by Prof Chris Baggoley, Chief Medical Officer, who gave an overview of vaccine safety surveillance in Australia in recent years.